


A Second, Second Chance

by markandpaige



Category: Neighbours (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-22 03:00:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7417006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markandpaige/pseuds/markandpaige
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the fallout of their wedding day and her disappearance from Mark's life, Paige returns to Erinsborough to see him. But she has a much bigger surprise than that for Mark. What could the surprise be? And can Paige and Mark leave the bad memories behind and be together again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> So this is my first fic... I actually got my inspiration from a friend, who also posts on here, you might know her fic "I'm Not Letting Go," which is also about Paige and Mark. They'll know who they are, and I wanna thank her for the inspiration! 
> 
> I originally had named this fic "A Second Chance," when I was writing the draft but decided against it because when they get back together in this fic, it would technically be the third time they've gotten together, so when my friend suggested "A Second, Second Chance," even though it was a joke, I decided it fitted better and that I liked it.
> 
> I'm a bit of a rookie when it comes to writing, despite English being one of my best subjects at school, so if there's any grammar errors or anything, just ignore them.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic!

I sigh, walking down to the end of the driveway. It’s been a year. A year since what was supposed to be our wedding day, a year since our fight, a year since she disappeared from my life.

Hearing a car coming up the road, I look behind me to see who it is. Not many people drive up this road, so it seems a little strange but I don’t think much of it.

The car does a U-turn at the end of the road, and slows down when it reaches my driveway. I look in the window to see if I know who it is.

“Paige?”

I shake my head. It can’t be her, she left a year ago, and never contacted me!

But the person gets out of the car and I get a clearer view of who it is. Paige.

“P-Paige?” I stutter.

“Hi Mark.” She says.

“W-what are you doing here? Y-you left! You left and didn’t contact me!”

She shakes her head. “I came back to see you.”

I pull her into me for a hug. God I’ve missed her!

I suddenly hear a babies cry, and as I’m facing towards the car, I can just see the shape of a tiny baby in the backseat of the car.

“I-is that Matilda?” I ask, knowing very well that it’s not.

“Uh...no,” she says. “Mark, this is my daughter. Our daughter.”

“What? But...how, you-“

“I was pregnant when I left.” She says.

“We have a daughter?”

She smiles. “Would you like to meet her?”

I nod, and she turns around to face the car to get the baby.

“Mark, this is Lily.”

She gently lays her in my arms, and the baby starts to cry.

“Hey, shhh it’s your daddy.”

I look up at Paige. “She’s beautiful.”

“She looks like her dad.”

I smile down at the newborn baby, then back up at Paige.

“Should we go inside?”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

Paige asks me to grab the pram out of the back of her car, and then I head inside.

****

When I enter, she’s walking around the living room, Lily in her arms. I put the pram in the corner of the room so that it’s not in the way.

“It hasn’t changed much,” she says, looking over at me.

“Nope.” I reply.

She sits on the couch with Lily.

“Would you like a coffee?” I ask her.

“Yes, please.” She says. “Haven’t had one since before the flight.”

Once I’ve made us both coffees, I sit down on the chair opposite her.

“I’m so sorry I left without saying anything.” She says.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I understand.”

“I just needed a break. After everything that happened...”

“Paige,” I say. “It’s okay.”

“But it’s not! I left without saying anything! I left without knowing I was pregnant, and when I found out, I didn’t tell you!”

“I arrested you on our wedding day, you were upset.”

“But I still should’ve told you about our daughter.”

“Paige I understand why you didn’t, it’s okay.”

She looks at Lily, who has fallen asleep in her arms.

“She deserves to have her father in her life.”

“Yeah, and you’re here now. I’m here, and Lily will have me in her life. Always.”

Lily stirs in Paige’s arms, and she looks up at me.

“Do you want to hold your daughter?”

“Of course!”

She stands up from the couch, coming over to me and puts Lily in my arms.

“How old is she?” I ask.

“She’s just less than 3 months old.” She replies.

“She’s gorgeous. Like her Mum."

Paige smiles. "She looks like her dad."

  
****

I look up, hearing the front door opening, and see that it’s Aaron.

“Hey Mark,” he says.

He than sees Paige sitting across from me.

“Paige?” He asks.

“Yeah.” She replies. “Hi Az.”

“What are you doing here? Not that I mind but-“

“I came back to see your brother.”

Paige stands up and steps around the couch to hug Aaron.

“I’ve missed you Paige.” Aaron says.

“I’ve missed you too, Az.” Paige replies.

“And who’s this little one?” Aaron asks when he sees Lily.

“This is Mark’s and my daughter, Lily.”

“What?” Aaron looks confused.

“I was pregnant when I left. I found out shortly after.”

Paige comes and takes her from me, so Aaron can meet her.

“Aaron, this is Lily.”

Lily stirs, and begins to cry.

“Lily, this is uncle Aaron.” I tell her, even though she won’t understand.

I step around the couch, walking over to them.

“Would you like to hold her?” Paige asks Aaron.

Aaron nods so she lays her in his arms.

“Hey Lily,” Aaron says. “I’m your uncle, Aaron.”

Lily realises she’s in a strangers arms and starts to cry again.

“Sorry,” Paige says. “She’s just not used to strangers. Not that you’re strangers but-“

“Of course we are Paige. To her we are strangers. I get that.” Az smiles.

  
Paige goes to put Lily in the pram, and sits on the chair opposite the couch. 

“Do you want some lunch?” Mark asks looking at Az and I.

“Sounds good,” Az says. “Paige?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” I reply.

Mark goes to make lunch, while Az and I talk.

“So, how was your time in Queensland?” He asks.

“It was really good,” I say. “I needed a break from everything.”

“Mark was a mess without you.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just-“

He nods. “I get it Paige. I understand.”

“Thanks Az.” I smile.

  
****

Lily starts to fuss so Paige takes her out of the pram for a breastfeed.

“Lily, your daddy and uncle are here!”

“Alright guys,” Mark says. “Lunch is up!”

“I’ll bring yours over,” Mark says. “You’re feeding Lily.”

Mark and Aaron come over with the food. Mark hands me a plate, and I lift one arm from underneath Lily, as she’s still feeding.

“Hey little one.” Mark runs his hand over Lily’s short hair.

“You can take her after her feed if you want, I actually need to go see Mum & Dad.”

“You don’t wanna take her to see Lauren and Brad?”

“Oh I do, but I think she should spend some time with her daddy.”

Az takes the plates into the kitchen to be washed, before coming back to sit down.

“We can take her for the afternoon, if you want.” Az says.

“Hang on a minute!” Mark says. “She is my daughter!”

“Yes, and she is my niece!” Az replies.

I laugh. “Okay, okay you two! No need to argue over her!”

  
****

After lunch I leave Lily with Mark and Aaron and head to Mum and Dad’s.

I cross the road and enter the house through the back door.

“Hello?” I ask, walking into the kitchen, spotting Mum.

She turns around, and smiles when she sees me.

“Paige!” She comes over to hug me. “I missed you!”

“Hey Mum!” I say, hugging her back. “I missed you too!”

“Lauren what’s-“ I hear Dad’s voice.

“Hi Dad.” I say, turning around.

“Paige!” He says. I step over to hug him.

We sit down on the couch for a coffee, and I tell Mum & Dad about Queensland.

“And how’s my baby granddaughter?” She asks.

“Yes, how is she going?” Dad asks.

“Oh, Lily is fantastic.” I smile. “Mark and Aaron have got her at the moment.”

“Oh, you’ve seen Mark?”

“Yeah, I thought he deserved an explanation.”

“How did he take meeting your return?” She asks.

“Oh he was surprised, but happy. Very happy.”

"And how'd he take meeting Lily?"

"Very well. He was surprised, of course. But happy."

“So are you two...together?” She asks.

“I dunno,” I sigh. “We never technically broke up but...”

“Do you still love him?”

“Of course. I’ve never stopped loving Mark.”

“Have you talked about it with him?”

“No, not yet...I’ve only been back a few hours and I was focused on the baby.”

“You need to talk to him about it, when you’re ready.”

I nod. “Yeah, I will.”

  
****

I exit the house, crossing the road back to Mark’s.

“Hey.” I say, when I enter.

“Shhh,” Aaron puts a finger to his lips. “Mark just got her to sleep.”

I see Mark on the couch, Lily in his arms, fast sleep. He spots me, standing up and walking over to me. She looks so peaceful, sleeping in Mark’s arms.

“She just fell asleep,” he says. “It took a while but I got there.”

“Thanks for taking her.” I say.

“She was an angel,” Az says.

I take her from Mark, and place her in the pram.

“Well,” I say. “I’m going to take her to meet Mum & Dad now.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later?” Mark asks.

“Yeah, actually Mum & Dad invited you guys and Ty for dinner.”

“Sounds great, what time?”

“Uh...around 5.30?” I ask. “I know it’s early, but with Lily...”

"It's fine, we'll be there." Mark says.

“Great.” I reply. “See you then.”

 

I exit the house, smiling. I'm so happy to be back!

 


	2. Bonding & Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Paige's shock arrival in Erinsborough with Mark's and her baby daughter Lily, everyone is surprised. Mark bonds with his new baby, while Paige worries that leaving, and not telling Mark about their baby wasn't the right thing to do, and she'll never be able to make up for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again guys,
> 
> So this is the second chapter. I know the first chapter was kind of brief, but they'll be getting longer as the book progresses. 
> 
> So Paige is back! And she brought a surprise for Mark- their daughter, Lily! Can you believe that??
> 
> Also, I'm changing the name of this chapter soon. I just really wanted to post but I coukdn't think of a name that would suit better!

I wake to the sound of Lily’s crying. I open my eyes and turn my head to the alarm clock to see what time it is; 3:48am. I pull myself out of the bed to get her out of the cot for a feed.

“Hey baby,” I smile down at her.

I slide back into bed, still holding Lily, so that I can give her a breastfeed.  


When she’s finished feeding, I slide out of the bed again, rock her in my arms for a few minutes until she falls asleep again, and place her back in the cot. 

****

I wake, and for the first time in a year, I'm actually happy. Paige is back, and we have a beautiful daughter named Lily.

I get out of bed, have a quick shower, and get dressed before I head out to the kitchen where I find Aaron and Tyler already up.

"Hey bro." Tyler says.

"Morning." I reply.

"It was good seeing Paige again." He says.

"Yeah." I reply. "It's good to have her back."

I make myself breakfast, while chatting more to Aaron and Tyler.

"Alright," I say. "I'm off to work."

"Have a good day Mark." Aaron says.

I grab my phone and wallet off the bench as I exit the house.

I enter the station for the morning shift, seeing Sarge at the front desk.

“Morning Sarge.” I say.

“Morning Mark.” He replies.

****

“Lily, are you ready to go see your daddy?” I ask her.

I lift her into the pram, and exit the house to cross the road to Mark’s.

“Hey,” I say, seeing Mark in the kitchen when I enter the house.

“Oh, hey!” Mark says.

We sit down for a coffee and to chat. I give Lily to Mark for a cuddle. She cries, so Mark rocks her in his arms.

"Do you want me to take her? She's been a bit unsettled today."

"It's okay," he says. "I can try and settle her, if you want."

I nod. "Yeah, if you don't mind doing that."

"Of course I don't," he says. "She is my daughter too."

“Yeah," I smile. "I’ve got something I want to show you.” I tell him.

“Oh?” He asks, looking up.

I take the photo album out of the little backpack that I usually take when i go places with Lily, which is beside me.

“This is an album that I’ve been putting together ever since I found out I was pregnant.”

He takes it from me, lifting one arm from under Lily, and opens it to the first page.

The first photo is my first ever ultrasound. You can’t see Lily very well because I was only a month into the pregnancy. 

He flicks through the pages. After the ultrasound photos, comes her birth certificate.

“Lily Kate Smith.” He looks over at me.

“I know it’s Smith... But you weren’t there at the birth and-“

“I get it Paige, it’s okay.”

He finally gets the first ever photo I took of her, the day she was born. I’d captioned the photo “Welcome to the world Lily Kate Brennan.”

There’s photos of her time in the car, at home, and outings we'd made.  


"It's beautiful." He says, flicking to the last page. 

He turns his focus to me, and before I know it he's leaning in to kiss me. I pull back. 

"I'm sorry." He says. "I know that it's only been a day." 

"It's okay Mark," I reply.

He smiles. "I've missed you so much."

"Yeah," I reply. "I've missed you too." 

****

It's late afternoon when I decide to head home so Lily can have a sleep. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Mark asks. 

"Yeah," I reply. "I hear it's gonna be a nice day, we could go for a picnic by the lake?" 

"Sounds good." He says. 

I give Lily to Mark for one last cuddle, before I take her, and put her in the pram." 

****

When I enter the house, I find Dad in the kitchen.

"Hey Dad." I say.

"Hey sweetheart," he replies. "How was your afternoon with Mark?"

"It was great." I reply.

"He sees Lily in the pram and smile. "And my gorgeous granddaughter."

I spot Mum coming into the house with the washing.

"Oh, hey sweetie." She says.

"Hey," I reply.

I look down at Lily who starts to cry in the pram. I pick her up and rub her back, trying to get her to sleep.

"Do you want me to take her for a bit?" Mum asks.

"Oh, do you mind? I do really need to have a shower."

"Yes, go for it sweetie!" Mum says. She steps forward and takes Lily.

**** 

When I enter the living room again, Mum's sitting on the couch with the pram in front of her, sliding it forward and back on the floor. 

"You got her to sleep!" I say. "Finally!" 

"Yes," she laughs. "Now shhh, or you'll wake her!" She replies.

"Sorry," I say. "She's just been so unsettled today."

"Babies are like that." Mum smiles at me. "It's all part of being a Mum."

"Yeah," I say, looking down at the baby, now asleep in the pram.

****

After dinner, I give Lily a bath, and put her to sleep.

"Get her to sleep alright?" Mum asks when I enter the living room.

I shake my head. "But I'm just gonna leave her for a bit, see if she falls asleep."

"You're a great Mum." She says. 

"Oh, I'm not sure about that." I reply. 

She looks at me, concerned. "Why would you say that?" 

"Mum, I left my fiancé to go to Queensland on our wedding day, and when I found out I was pregnant I didn't tell him! He deserved to know, Mum! And Lily deserved to have her dad in her life! From the start!"

She pulls me in for a hug. "Paige, he arrested you on your wedding day! Yes, he deserved to know about your pregnancy, but you're here now. He doesn't hold any of that against you."

I sigh, pulling away. "I just..." I start. "I didn't want it to be like with you and Dad with me...him not knowing about the baby until 20 years later."

"Oh sweetie!" Mum says, pulling me in for a hug.

When we part, I sit back down on the couch. I can still hear Lily crying. 

"You are a good Mum, Paige." Mum sits beside me. 

"I try," I reply. "I just want to do what's best for Lily."

"And you will Paige. Just take things as they come. You can't do everything right the first time. You'll learn as you go."

"Thanks, Mum." I reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think?
> 
> Mark kissed Paige! Do you think they'll end up back together?


	3. Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark continues to bond with Lily, & Mark and Paige spend their first time alone together since before the wedding fallout a year ago. Will they finally get back together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, forgot to write a summary when I posted the other day, so I just added one now.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)

Today Paige and I decided to go for a picnic by the lake. It's a sunny day, and Lily enjoys the outdoors.

“Hey Lauren." I say, entering the Turners' house.

“Oh, hey Mark," She replies. "Paige is just getting Lily ready."

I walk through the hallway to Paige's room where I find her dressing Lily."

“Hey," She says when she sees me. 

“Hey Lily!" I look at the baby in her arms.

“You ready to go?" She asks

“Yup," I say. "Let's go." 

**** 

It's a nice walk to the lake. I take the pram and Paige carries the bag with the picnic rug and our lunch in it.i 

When we arrive, we choose a spot to sit amd I lay the picnic rug on the grass. Paige takes Lily out of the pram and sits her on her lap. 

I look over at her, and at our daughter, sitting contently on Paige's lap. She starts to whine, and Paige rocks her a bit on her lap. 

"How did you do it?" I ask. 

She looks over at me, confused. "Do what?" 

"Get through your pregnancy. And the three months I wasn't in Lily's life." 

She sighs. "I just...did. You learn how to manage as you go along." 

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there." 

"Mark, we've been through this! It's not your fault." 

"I know, I just... I still feel bad." 

She shifts closer, rubbing my shoulder gently. "It's not your fault Mark."

"How did you manage to pay for everything?" 

"I worked right up until just before Lily's birth. I'd saved enough for all the baby stuff and...I bought the car off a friend." 

I smile. "You had it all sorted, huh?" 

"Yeah, I learnt a lot while I was away."

We eat lunch, and Paige gives Lily a bottle before we decide to take a walk around the lake. Paige puts Lily back in the pram, and she falls asleep.

**** 

We arrive back at Mark's, and I say goodbye to him so I can take Lily home. 

"Hey sweetie," Mum says when she sees me entering the house. She lowers her voice when she sees Lily is asleep in the pram. 

“Hey Mum." I reply. 

"How was your picnic with Mark?"

"It was good," I reply. "It was a nice day to be by the lake."

"Yeah, it was a nice day." She replies. 

"I'm gonna let her sleep for a bit," I look over at Lily. 

"Sure." Mum smiles. "I'm just getting dinner organised." 

"Would you like some help?" I ask. 

"No, it's alright. You've got Lily." 

"Lily's asleep. And besides, I kind of miss helping you with dinner." 

She smiles. "I've missed you so much Paige. I'm glad you're back." 

****

4 weeks later 

Lily is just over 4 months old now. She can now sit up in the pram more and is starting to smile.

”Hey!” 

I look up from where I’m sitting on the couch and see Paige entering the house, the pram in one hand and Lily on her other hip. 

“Oh, hey!” I say, standing up to greet them both, and take Lily from her. 

”Hey, just thought we’d pop by.” She replies. 

I look down at Lily, who is smiling and gurgling a bit. 

"Hey Lily," I coo.

I look back at Paige. ”Would you like a coffee?” 

”Yeah, that would be nice.” She smiles. 

I pass Lily back to Paige and she goes to sit on the couch. 

Once the coffees are made, I walk over to the couch and give Paige hers. Lily is seated on her lap, supported by her left arm as she can’t sit up on her own yet. 

I sit down on the chair opposite her, and we chat. I can’t help but stare at her. Even after all this time, I’ve never stopped loving her. I still want to be with her so badly. 

”Mark?” Her voice snaps me out of my daze. 

”Sorry, what?” I ask. 

”Were you listening?” She giggles. 

”What? Yeah, of course I was!” 

She shakes her head. She knows me too well, I can’t lie and get away with it. 

“Alright,” I say. “I admit, I wasn’t listening.” 

"Knew it!" She replies, laughing. 

We chat a bit longer, before Paige decides to take Lily home. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I reply. "I've got the day off tomorrow." 

As she leaves, I smile to myself. She’s still the same old Paige that left me a year ago. I miss her so much. I miss being able to kiss her, and hug her, and call her mine. 

”Hey Mark.” Aaron says as he comes into the house. 

”Hey Az.” I reply. 

”Have a good day?” He asks. 

”Yeah,” I reply. “Saw Paige this afternoon.” 

"I bet you’re loving spending a lot of time with her and Lily.” 

”Yeah,” I smile. “Yeah, I am.” 

"You haven't really had much time alone with her, have you?” 

”No,” I say. “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest. We’ve just been so focused on Lily ever since she came back.” 

”Maybe you should try and spend a little bit of time alone. I could look after Lily if you wanted to do it tomorrow.” 

I sigh. “I dunno Az.” 

”C’mon Mark,” Aaron says. “It’ll be good.” 

”Aaron, we didn’t see each other for a year, I don’t even know if she still loves me.” 

”Mark, you have a baby together.” 

”It doesn’t mean she still loves me Aaron.” 

”I see the way she looks at you Mark! She still loves you.” 

I sigh, looking at him. 

”You still love her right?” 

”Of course, I’ve never stopped loving her.” 

"So give it a chance Mark. You’ll never know how she feels if you don’t try to” 

I nod. “You’re right.” 

”So you’ll do it?” He asks. 

”Yeah,” I say. “I’ll text her. See what she thinks.” 

”Good,” he says. “I’m happy to look after Lily.” He pats my back at he wanders into the hallway where the bedrooms are. 

I grab my phone out, going into messages to text her. 

”Hey, wanna meet up tomorrow, just you and me? Aaron can take Lily while we’re out.” 

My phone beeps, and I see the message flash up on the screen, and I unlock to see the full message and to reply. 

“Yeah, sure. I’m sure Lily would love to spend some time with her uncle.” 

“Great. What if Aaron and I come over at 10, he’ll take her to mine and we’ll keep going to Harold’s?” 

My phone beeps again. “Sounds great. See you then.” 

I smile. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with Lily, but it will be good to have a little time alone with her. 

**** 

Next day 

I wake, get out of bed, have a quick shower, before heading out to the kitchen. 

”Morning bro,” Aaron says. 

"Morning." I reply.

”So we’re going to Lauren’s and I’ll bring Lily back here?” 

"Yeah. You’ll just need to remember to bring the pram with you so she can have a sleep.” 

”Sure.” He says. “Easily done.” 

**** 

I’m in the kitchen finishing breakfast, Lily in the pram beside me when I hear Mark’s and Aaron’s voices in the house. 

"Hey," I say when they enter the living room. “Sorry, running a little late.” 

”You’re alright,” Aaron says. “No need to rush.” 

I walk over to the kitchen and place my empty plate in the dishwasher. 

”Alright,” I say. “Lily’s all ready. Are you sure you’re alright to take her Az?” 

”Yes, of course,” He says. “I’m happy to take her anytime.” 

I smile. “Thanks Az.” 

I take Lily out of the pram for a cuddle, before letting Mark hold her for a cuddle himself. 

”Your daddy and mummy will be back soon!” Mark tells Lily. She smiles up at him. 

”Alright, I’ll see you guys later?” Aaron asks. 

”Yeah,” I say. “Thanks again Az.” 

**** 

Once Aaron has gone, Paige gets her things together and we exit the house. 

”Do you still wanna go to Harold’s?” Paige asks. 

”Actually,” I say. “I wanna take you somewhere a little more...private.” 

”Oh?” She looks at me as we walk. 

”Yeah,” I say. “If you don’t mind.” 

"Not at all.” 

I decide to take her back to the lake. I know we were here yesterday, but there’s not many places around here that are much more private than near the lake. 

”We’re back at the lake.” Paige says when we arrive. 

“Yeah, I know.” I say. “I know we were here yesterday but-“ 

It’s fine Mark. I love it here.” 

”Good.” I smile. 

We sit on the grass, and chat. It’s been a while since we’ve talked, just the two of us. Having a baby around does change things a lot because you have to constantly be caring for them. And don’t get me wrong, I love Lily, and love caring for her, but it’s nice to have a little bit of time with Paige, just us two every now and again. 

”This is nice,” Paige says. “Us, just talking.” 

”Yeah,” I reply. “It is.” 

We wander back to Harold’s for lunch. 

”Hey you two,” Lauren says when seeing us. 

”Hi Lauren.” I reply. 

”Hi Mum.” Paige says. 

“Yeah,” Paige replies. “It’s been nice.” 

Lauren smiles. “Good. Now, what can I get you two? On the house.” 

“Oh you don’t have to do that Lauren.” I say. 

”You’re right, I don’t have to, but I want to.” 

"Thank you." 

”You’re welcome.” 

We order. Paige gets a ham & cheese croissant, while I get a chicken and salad sandwich. 

”We should probably head back soon,” Paige says. “Take Lily out of Aaron’s hands.” 

”Aaron will be fine with her, lets just stay out a little longer.” 

She sighs. “Okay. It just feels really weird going out places without her.” 

”I know,” I reply. “But she’ll be okay with Aaron for a little longer.” 

**** 

After we finish lunch, we walk back along to her our houses. 

”Today has been fun,” she smiles. “Thank you.” 

”You’re welcome.” I reply. 

We stare at each other for a minute, and then it gets too much and I lean forward to kiss her. 

She pulls away, and we stare into each others eyes. 

“I’ve missed doing that.” 

"Yeah," she says. "Me too." 

"I wanna do this again. Just the two of us." 

”Yeah, I’d like that.” She replies. 

We enter Mark’s house so that I can pick Lily up. We find them on the couch. 

”Oh hey.” Aaron stands up, holding Lily. 

"How was she?" I ask, taking her. 

“She was perfect.” Aaron replies. 

”Of course she was!” Mark smiles at the baby. 

"She slept for almost two hours," he says. "I got her down really easily."

"Awe, you were good for uncle Aaron!" I coo at the baby. 

She starts to whine, and I look at the boys. “I better go, she’s getting restless.” 

”I’ll see you tomorrow? With Lily?” Mark asks. 

”Yeah, sounds good.” I reply. 

Mark takes Lily for one last cuddle before I leave. She starts to cry, and Mark rocks her a bit. “Hey Lily,” he coos. “Shhhh.” 

**** 

Once Paige has left, Aaron looks at me.

“So how was you date?” 

”It wasn’t a date.” 

”Oh c’mon Mark, of course it was.” 

I sigh. “Okay, maybe it was. And it was good. We kinda...kissed.” 

”What?!!” 

”I couldn’t help it, we were there and it just happened.” 

”No, it’s good Mark! I told you she still loves you.”

"I know, and I love her too. But I don't know if she's ready." 

"Mark, Paige adores you. She'll be ready whenever you are."

"I just don't want to push her. Lily is our priority right now." 

"Do you want to be with her?" 

"Of course I do." 

"You need to talk to her Mark. Let her know how you feel."

"And I will," I reply. "When I feel the time is right." 

****

"Hey Mum, hey Dad." I find them both in the kitchen. 

"Hey sweetheart," Dad says. "How was your day?" 

"It was good thanks." I smile. 

Lily starts to stir in the pram, so I lift her out and sit on the couch to feed her. 

After dinner I put Lily to bed and Dad decides to head off too as he's got work in the morning. 

"Soooo..." Mum says as we sit down on the couch. 

"What?" I ask. 

"What happened between you and Mark today?" 

"What? Nothing." 

"Oh c'mon, you haven't stopped smiling since you got home!" 

"Can't I just smile?" 

"Of course you can, but this was the smile that you used to have when you were with Mark." 

I sigh. "Okay, fine. We...kissed." 

What?! So are you two...together?" 

"I don't know." I say. "We haven't really spoken about it."

"You wanna be with him, don't you?" 

"Of course! I love him. And seeing how good he is with Lily makes me wanna be with even more." 

"You need to tell him how you feel." 

"Yeah, you're right." 

She pulls me in for a hug. "I'm always right."

I hear Lily crying, so I get up off the couch and go to my room to get her. I roc her in my arms, trying to get her back to sleep. 

"Shhh Lily," I coo. "Go to sleep for Mummy."

Once she's asleep, I head to bed myself, as it's getting late. 

****

3 days later 

Lily's crying wakes me up, and I pick her up out of the cot and take her back to bed with me to feed her. 

After her feed, I put her back in the cot for a few minutes while I go to have a shower. 

I exit the bathroom, finding Lily not in her cot. Mum must gave come and got her. 

"Mum?" I ask, entering the kitchen. 

I find her, standing in the kitchen, holding Lily in her arms. 

"Sorry," She says. "I heard her crying and figured you were showering so I brought her out here."

"Thank you." I smile. 

"You're welcome." She replies. 

I take her from Mum to give her a feed, before placing her back in the pram while I eat breakfast. 

"Got any plans for today?" Mum asks. 

"Actually, no." I reply. "Why?" 

"Oh I thought maybe we could spend the day together. Maybe go into the city." 

"Yeah, that sounds nice." I reply. 

"Okay, what if we go in at about 11?" 

"Sure," I reply. "I'll start getting ready." 

"Want me to take her for a bit?" 

"If that's okay." 

"Of course it is!" 

I give the pram to Mum, walking towards the hallway to the bathroom. I turn back, smiling at Mum holding Lily in her arms. She's very lucky to have a great family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was a little longer! I want the chapters to be a bit longer, at the moment they're barely 2000 words, but I'll get there!


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